WESTERLY — School Supt. Thomas P. DiPaola, 58, is not only the highest-paid School Department employee, he earns more than anyone on the municipal payroll, including the town manager.

DiPaola, who has a doctorate from the University of Connecticut in education administration and education psychology has worked in the Rhode Island Department of Education’s office of special populations.

He was paid $115,527 in calendar 2006, according to The Journal’s statewide survey of municipal and school employees.

Ranking as the 183rd-highest-paid official on a Rhode Island municipal or school payroll, he earned about $10,000 more than Town Manager Joseph T. Turo, 68, who has a law degree from UConn-Hartford and ranks 400th in the state. (See accompanying story on municipal employees.)

Pay figures were provided to The Journal by local school and town officials last year. They were taken from W2 records and do not include the cost of benefits or of pay deferred for retirement. They do include overtime, longevity bonuses and extra pay for holding more than one job. Figures were calculated so they could be compared with those of people in similar positions across the state.

Ranking second on the school list in 2006 was Ellen V. Eggeman, finance and human resources director. Eggeman left her post in May of last year to finish her doctoral degree at Johnson & Wales University and to work in the academic provost’s office at UMass-Dartmouth. The position is similar to her job in Westerly, with similar pay and a shorter commute. She made $99,721 in 2006.

In the number three spot is Middle School principal Dennis Curran, who in 2006 earned $96,895. He and number four — Mary N. Toscano, an assistant principal at the high school — both earned more than Westerly High School principal Paula G. Fusco, in the number seven spot with $91,091. Fusco may have had more of her earnings deferred than either Curran or Toscano.

Toscano’s pay of $93,569 combined half a year as a teacher and half as assistant principal.

In the middle, at number five, was Sylvia C. Blanda, assistant superintendent of curriculum. She made $93,165.94.

Two classroom teachers made the Top 10, one a rung above and one a rung below Fusco, their boss. Gail A. Thompson landed in the sixth spot with $92,352, and Andrew A. Bonner landed at number eight with $90,381.

“Both of them, in addition to being teachers, are chairmen of their respective departments,” DiPaola said yesterday. Thompson, chairman of the World Languages department, was Senior Project coordinator that summer, and Thompson, chairman of the Technology and Engineering department, also serves as the department’s videographer. “He’s the guy that runs the camera at School Committee meetings,” DiPaola said.

In the ninth spot is Dunn’s Corners principal Andrew Carrano, at $89,052. He retired last year.

And rounding out the Top 10 was Director of Special Education Carol A. Brown, whose earnings came in at $89,052.

Compiled by Paul Edward Parker

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

Source: Westerly School Dept.

Compiled by Paul Edward Parker

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

Source: Town of Westerly

dnaylor@projo.com